Upfront

May2008

Through the Eyes of the Past

Moscot, the popular New York eyewear emporium, now features more than just vintage-inspired eyewear. The Moscot family opened a museum on the bottom floor of their Orchard Street shop, showcasing family photos and historical shots of New York’s Lower East Side.

The photographs, taken by great-grandfather Sol Moscot, provide a rare glimpse back in time to the eclectic Manhattan neighborhood in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. Many immigrants who came to America through Ellis Island began their lives on the Lower East Side. The Moscot family is part of that past (and present) as they have been selling eyewear there since Hyman Moscot came to America from Eastern Europe in 1899. He began selling eyeglasses on a pushcart on the streets of Manhattan.

The black and white photos on display capture the day-to-day goings-on of immigrants struggling to make a life in a new country. Included in the displayed collection are Moscot family photographs from the past 80 years. Photographic prints of the vintage photos are available for purchase as four-color C-prints matted on archival boards at both the store and online at
www.moscot.com.